The Sharpest Lives: A Killjoy Story
by terrablaze
Summary: Twin Killjoys Neon Beam and Static Light are on a mysterious mission only they know about. But what they discover could be the key to bringing down BLI for good. When the time comes, will they allow the Fabulous Killjoys, their friends, to help?
1. Sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead

_**~A/N: **_

_**Okay guys, here we are again. I have to admit, I pretty much started on this right after I finished my last story, The True Beginnings of the Fabulous Killjoys. This is sort of like a spin-off. It features Neon Beam and Static Light, who played minor parts in the last story, as the major characters. You don't have to have read True Beginnings to read this one. Any references to it will be explained. However, if you do have interest in reading True Beginnings, I would suggest that you do so before reading this one...a.k.a. SPOILERS! ;] **_

_**I lost interest in this story for a little while right before I went on a three-week trip to Europe this summer with no phone and no internet, which was an adventure. However, when I got back, I realized I had really missed the Killjoy-verse, and I wanted to be apart of it again! So here we are, this is my new story, and I really hope you guys enjoy it! **_

_**I would like to promise you all that I will update frequently, but in a few weeks I will be starting my senior year of highschool (yikes!) so I will try my hardest to keep ahead of the game, but you never know. With going to a college-prep school and having to actually prep for college, work loads can get pretty hectic. So please be patient with me! I hope to update at least weekly, if not more often. **_

_**Okay, a quick note about this story. Like my last one, the main characters in here are not meant to be their actual selves in real life. However, we were never given "real names" for any of the Killjoys, so I use their names from real life. For example: When I say Party Poison is Gerard, I don't mean that he is Gerard Way, the lead singer from My Chemical Romance, I mean that that particular child's parents named him Gerard when he was a baby. Just so we're all clear. **_

_**Oh and I don't own the idea of the Killjoys. That belongs to MCR and all affiliated with them. I just own a few OCs and some of the plot line. **_

_**Lastly, I would like to thank all of you for reading. It really means a lot. Please review if you like it and have the time. It's always nice to hear one's work is appreciated! :]**_

_**W/ luv**_

_**~T**_

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**One: The sharpest lives are the deadliest to lead**_

_California Desert, 2015_

The sun beat down on Neon Beam's head. The blonde Killjoy looked up. There wasn't a cloud in the sky.

Great.

Summer in the desert was bad enough. The radiation and everything funky after the bombs that made the temperatures go whack was even worse. Neon guessed it was 120 degrees out.

He turned to his twin brother walking beside him. Static Light gave him a weary smile, then hung his head.

They looked like twins. Both of them had platinum blonde hair spiked up in a Mowhawk on top, black boots, and black skinny jeans. They also had inverse blue and green color coordinated clothing and hair. Neon's Mowhawk was dyed blue on top, and he wore a green t-shirt with a blue vest. Static was the opposite. Green Mowhawk, blue t-shirt, and green vest.

They couldn't go on like this much longer, Neon thought. They had to find shelter. And soon.

Static broke the silence a few minutes later, saying what was on Neon's mind.

"How far from the Zones are we?"

Neon shook his head. He didn't know, and he didn't have the energy to speak.

"Not close enough," Static muttered and went back to trudging along in silence.

They kept walking for days it seemed, but was probably only an hour, maybe two. The desert blurred everything—vision and time.

Finally they were beginning to see foliage. That was both a good and bad sign. It meant they were getting closer to the Zones which meant potential shelter, but also potential Draculoid patrols.

Neon and Static knew they had to be especially careful now. Better Living Industries, the evil dystopian corporation that had taken over after the bombs, knew their faces. They were almost as wanted as the Fabulous Killjoys. But the twins didn't regret it. The fact that BLI was after them meant they were getting close.

* * *

><p><em>California, 2010<em>

"_You're going?"_

"_Yeah," Static said. "Don't take offense, of course, but we've still got some shit to take care of, like every Killjoy. We'll keep in touch, though."_

_The twins headed off to their car. _

_Static helped Neon into the passenger seat and then slid in behind the wheel._

"_Where to now?" he asked. _

_Neon shook his head. They still didn't have any leads. _

"_Damn it!" Static yelled, smacking the steering wheel._

_Neon reached out and put a hand on his brother's shoulder. "We'll figure it out, don't worry."_

_Static sighed. "I just can't believe it sometimes." _

Me neither, _Neon wanted to say, but the hollow feeling he had was very real. _

"_We'll go look around Battery City some more. They said that BLI was starting to put more people out there. That's where they found Poison, Jet, Kobra, and Ghoul, you know?" _

_Static nodded. _

"_Then if nothing comes up, we'll bring it up with the Killjoys when we go check in. Maybe they know something."_

_Static nodded again, then put the car in drive and sped off. _

* * *

><p><em>California, 2015<em>

"I see something," Static said after a long period of silence.

Neon lifted his head. Sure enough, there was a shack on the horizon. But with the barren desert landscape, he couldn't tell if it was ten feet or ten miles away. He was guessing more like miles. Inadvertently, he slowed down.

"Oh no," Static said, noticing the change in pace. "You're not giving up on me now. Not while we can see shelter."

Neon still slowed. He was so tired. What was the use anyway? All their supplies had been in the car they had been forced to abandon when a Drac patrol was spotted in the distance. They didn't have any water.

"If you give up now, I swear to God I will keep you alive just so I can kill you again," Static warned.

Neon didn't react.

"Damn it, Neon, let's _go!_"

Neon collapsed on the ground.

"Neon Beam!" Static used his brother's full Killjoy name.

Still Neon didn't stir. He was done. He didn't want to do this anymore.

So he said that. "BLI can do whatever they hell they want. I'm done dealing with them. I deserve a rest."

With that he lay back on the ground and closed his eyes. Suddenly he was roughly forced up. Neon stared into the green eyes of Static. He had never seen his brother so angry.

"What did you say?" he asked in a cold voice. "Let them do whatever they want? Like experiment on people? Torture innocent humans," his voice got quiet, "even kids? That's what you're okay with? Just so you can have a little rest? What about the ones we left behind, huh? What about them? Are we just supposed to sit here and do nothing?"

Neon knew exactly who Static was talking about, but he didn't want to think about that. It would force him to…damn it.

Neon got to his feet. "Sorry."

Static's angry expression faded as he looked at his twin—the only family he had left. "It's alright man, it's happened to me before. You wouldn't let me give up either." He grinned. "It's kinda fun being you."

Neon cocked his head to one side, confused.

"You're always the strong one, the one pushing me. It's kinda nice to know you're human dude, and that you need some help from your little bro now and then."

Neon laughed, he was older by about three whole minutes.

"I'll always need my bro."

They ended up reaching the shack soon after Neon's little outburst. Exhausted, they crawled inside. Static was asleep within minutes. It took Neon a little longer. He stayed awake worrying. He was always the worrier, always the leader.

They needed water. And food. The stupid BLI patrol had ruined everything.

_They were driving down a desert road, if it could even be called a road. No one ever took it—Killjoys or Draculoids. It was supposed to be safe. Not even the Fabulous Killjoys knew about it. The twins hadn't told anyone. It was like their secret passage. _

_Neon had been driving with Static passed out in the front seat. It was hard with only two of them. If they were in areas where someone needed to take watch duty, they weren't awake at the same time all that often. _

_They drove an old Mustang convertible that didn't have a top anymore. The wind was blowing like crazy; it was a miracle that Static was able to sleep. Not only had he always been a sounder sleeper than Neon, but they had learned to take sleep when they could get it. _

_Something was kicking up dust in the distance. Neon frowned and looked in the rearview mirror. It didn't go away like a dust storm would, so he kept sneaking glances back. _

_There was a flash of black. _

_It was an unspoken code of conduct for Killjoys that they didn't drive black cars. So that could only mean one thing. Better Living Industries was on their tail again. _

_Never taking his eyes off the road or the rearview, Neon reached out and gently shook his brother awake. _

_Static sat straight up, drawing his blue ray gun with a green stripe out of his pocket. It was a good habit to get into out in the Zones. _

"_BLI," Neon said. _

"_What do we do?" Static asked. He loved their old car, but there was no way it could outrun a BLI car in pristine condition. _

_Neon gritted his teeth and pushed down on the accelerator. There was nowhere to hide a car. It was too risky. _

"_Neon?"_

_He sighed. "I think we'll have to carry on on foot."_

_Just then laser beams came at their direction. How was that? They were far enough ahead. _

"_New guns?" Static read Neon's mind. _

"_I guess," Neon replied. "We'd better get out of here now. Chances are they don't know it's us. They probably just think we're normal Killjoys. Do you still have those goggles?"_

_Static nodded and fumbled around in his bag as Neon continued to drive, looking for a good place to make their escape. There! He could see a mountain range in the distance. _

_Meanwhile, Static had pulled his binocular goggles out and put them on. He looked back at the BLI car. Sure enough, there were Draculoids with what looked like sniper ray guns. That was something they hadn't seen before. He wondered if any Killjoy had gotten a hold of one of those babies yet. _

"_Who's there?" Neon asked, jarring him from his thoughts. _

"_Uh, no one important," Static reported. "Just a couple Dracs shooting, the one driving, and—ah hell! It's Korse. We're fucked." _

_Neon stiffened. Korse was bad news. The guy had a serious vendetta against Killjoys—and other than the Fabulous Killjoys, there wasn't anyone else Korse hated more than Neon Beam and Static Light. _

"_There's a ditch!" Static yelled. _

_Neon jerked the wheel and sent the car flying into it. Everything was thrown out the side and to the ground, scattering everywhere. Static started to grab for it, dodging the blasts from the new gun. _

"_Leave it," Neon ordered, "there isn't time!"_

_Static started to protest, but a shot that narrowly missed him sent him scrambling towards his brother. _

_Sprinting away, crouched low to the ground, the twins were able to sneak away before Korse and his minions made it to the car, but they had to leave all their supplies behind. _

Now that he had some time and a place to think, Neon wasn't so sure that it had been a random patrol. Were they really so close to figuring things out that BLI was sending Korse after them? Neon didn't believe it, but there was no other explanation.

Their research into Battery City had been on the side of their main mission, but it had turned up some crazy stuff. Neon remembered that the Fabulous Killjoys' original mission had been to figure out Battery City's secrets, and he wondered if they were still looking into it. Probably not, he decided. That didn't seem like something Party Poison really wanted to take up. The guy had turned into more of a vigilante. He loved his sabotage work, that was for sure. Nothing wrong with that. Neon liked it himself, although he had a different mission now.

Leaning back against the side of the shack, he sighed. It had been so long. Was there even really a chance? He didn't want to give up, but it seemed so unlikely.

That was what he was thinking as he finally drifted off into sleep.


	2. We're dead flies in the summertime

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**Two: We're dead flies in the summertime**_

Static Light woke up early the next morning. Neon Beam was still passed out next to him. Static silently crept over his brother and went outside. He knew Neon had probably stayed awake worrying last night, because that was the kind of thing his twin did, so Static was content to let him sleep for awhile.

Meanwhile, he busied himself trying to figure out where they were—and where they could get some food and water. Static knew he was dehydrated, and Neon probably was too. He walked a little ways away, careful not to go too far because he was weak and he didn't want to be too far away from Neon until he woke up.

A mirage formed in the distance. That wasn't a good sign, he thought. Maybe he should head back. Because he would have sworn that he was seeing a car.

The mirage started to get closer, and Static realized too late that it was actually a car.

"Shit," he swore, rushing off to find somewhere to take cover. He needed to get out of sight.

There was a brush patch not too far from where he was standing, but he was in the open currently. Static debated just lying flat on the ground and hoping that the speeding car wouldn't see him, or making a break for it and attempting to get to the bushes. He was a little unsure of his speed since he was in a weakened state, but he had always been a fast runner.

So it was decided.

He took off sprinting as fast as he physically could, cursing BLI for forcing them to abandon their supplies. Finally after what felt like minutes, but was only seconds, he reached the brush and dove underneath the cover just as the car was coming into sight.

Static held his breath, hoping that he hadn't been seen. The car didn't seem to be losing speed, so he hoped that was the case. He squinted, trying to get a better look at the car.

As it got closer, he could see that it wasn't black. That was interesting. It meant it probably wasn't a Better Living issued car—unless the company was getting smarter and realizing that no Killjoy drove a black car. But Static didn't think that that was the kind of thing they took into consideration. He guessed that BLI still didn't respect Killjoys as a whole that much yet, and wouldn't consider them organized enough. That was one advantage rebellion and resistance usually had—the other side never seemed to regard them as a real force.

The car was close now, and Static could have sworn that he had seen it somewhere before. There was a spider on the front. That was familiar. Then it drove past and he saw the bumper stickers, and he remembered. It belonged to the Fabulous Killjoys now. He thought Party Poison drove it now that its original driver had been killed.

Deciding that the potential benefit of the car being driven by someone that could get them to food and water outweighed the risks of it having been stolen and now driven by a Draculoid, Static jumped from the bushes and started waving his arms.

The car kept going. It didn't seem to have seen him. Static slumped in defeat; he didn't have the energy to keep running.

Then he heard the sound of squealing breaks and he looked up in time to see the car pull a U-turn.

It came closer to him then stopped. The driver's side door opened, but it wasn't Party Poison who stepped out.

* * *

><p>Neon woke up to the sound of his own stomach growling. Well that was annoying. He had been having a particularly nice dream—one that included food and water. Yawning, he rolled over, wondering if he would be able to fall back asleep.<p>

He stared at an unfamiliar wall and sat up. He couldn't remember where he was. Then it all came back to him. The previous day's car chase, trek, and finally finding this shack but no supplies. He turned to Static to say something, but his brother wasn't there.

"Static?" he called, but it came out more as a croak with his parched mouth.

Neon cleared his throat and tried again. "Static?"

There was no answer.

He swore and pulled himself to his feet, deciding to set out to find his twin.

* * *

><p>"No fucking way," the dark-haired man stepping out of the car door said.<p>

A grin lit up Static's face. It was Agent Cherri Cola. He was one of the Fabulous Killjoys. The guy looked the same as when Static had last seen him, except now he was dressed in all black.

"Long time no see, eh?" Static shouted back.

The two walked closer to each other and embraced. It had been a long time, about four years in fact. The twins hadn't checked in in awhile. They had been busy with other stuff.

"Jeez, no kidding," Cola said. "What are you like thirty now?" he grinned.

"Oh you're so funny," Static said snarkily. "And I'm actually twenty-five, for your information."

"Damn, that makes me old," Cola said, still smiling. He was only a year older than the twins. "So what are you doing way out here? You're not even in the Zones yet." His face got grim. "And where's your brother?"

"Relax, he didn't get ghosted. He's fine. He's just sleeping in some shack we found over there. Had a run-in with a BLI patrol yesterday morning and we were forced to book it out of there on foot without supplies. Fancy giving us a ride?"

"Not a problem," Cola smiled. "You can check in with everyone else, too. I know they'll be glad to see you."

Static smiled. It would be nice to see everyone again, that was for sure. And to maybe sleep in a bed for a few days, and get some food.

The two men walked back towards the shack to pick up Neon, and then they would be on their way. To break the silence, Static said, "So what brings you out this far? I thought you Killjoys tended to stay closer to the Zones—especially Battery City?"

"Oh yeah, there's some weird shit going down in BC—Battery City," he explained seeing Static's confused face, "but Poison isn't all that interesting in the why, he sort of just wants to blow the whole thing up and call it good. But luckily Dr. D and Jet kept their heads, so they employed me to get out and do all the spying and sabotage work after…" he trailed off, "never mind."

Static knew what he was talking about. Their former spy, Dr. D's daughter, and Poison's love, Midnight Grace, had been killed in an early battle with BLI and Korse. The twins had been there. They knew it had been hard on the Killjoys.

"Well, enough of that," Cola said, changing the subject, "I think I see your brother."

Static could make out the form of Neon running towards them. Static held up his arms signaling that he was okay; he wasn't being captured by a Drac or anything. As Neon got closer, Static saw the recognition dawn on his face.

"Cola! How did you find us?" Neon asked.

"Your brother waved me down," he explained. "Now come on, let's get out of here and get back to headquarters. You guys look like you could use some food and water."

"You have no idea," Neon grumbled.

* * *

><p>Dustyna Jackson frowned, looking at herself in the mirror. She wished she had some hair dye. Hers was only boring brown. Some pink splotches would be nice.<p>

She had been summoned to a meeting with leading BLI officials. Any of the others in her compound would have been thrilled with the news, but she knew differently. She knew BLI wasn't what it pretended to be, not what her compound mates thought it was.

Compounds were the "boarding schools" that orphaned children that BLI thought had "potential" were sent to. They were definitely better than the slums that the regular population lived in, but she would rather have been free to live her own life out there than always be under the watchful eye of Better Living Industries here. But she didn't really have a choice. Once BLI found you, you didn't have a chance to get away.

"Relax Dusti," her friend Claire told her. "You'll be fine. I'm sure they're just going to tell you you're getting a job or something. I mean, after all, you are seventeen. I mean, most people get their jobs at eighteen, but it's not unheard of to get one at seventeen, and you're like one of the smartest people here I think even though you refuse to cooperate with authority, which is like really bad you know, I mean you could have anything you wanted…" Claire babbled on for a few more minutes, but Dusti had stopped listening.

Dusti gave her friend a smile, even though she knew what she was saying wasn't true.

Because Dusti had a secret. And it was a secret that BLI was willing to kill for.


	3. Since I been seeing your face

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**Three: Since I been seeing your face**_

A familiar voice poured through the radio as Agent Cherri Cola drove into the Zones.

"Look alive, sunshine! One-oh-nine in the sky, but the pigs won't quit. You're here with me…"

"Dr. Death Defying!" Static said at the same time as Dr. D.

Neon laughed. "So the old man's still broadcasting, eh?"

"Oh yeah," Cola said with a smile. "He's still the number one DJ in the Zones."

"Are there any other DJs in the Zones?" Static asked.

"No," Cola laughed.

"So what's with the whole 'the pigs won't quit' thing? Some type of new BLI creation out there? Because I have to say that if they're making pigs now I don't know whether I should laugh or be worried," Neon said.

"Or both," Static said. "Robot killer pigs!"

"Nah, that's just our code for BLI in general. They seem like pigs, don't you think?" Cola asked with one eyebrow raised.

The twins couldn't argue with that.

It took them about an hour total to get to Zone 0 where the Killjoys now lived. And that was with Cola speeding like crazy. He pulled the car between some trees into their "driveway," and slowed down. They were still about five miles from the headquarters, but they decided to make the path there because the trees would hide it from the little traffic that came through that way.

The twins smiled. There weren't all that many places nomadic Killjoys could call home, but this was about as close to one as they were going to get.

Cola parked the car off to the side of a diner. It was still in extremely good condition—especially considering the most wanted fugitives lived there. It looked like the old diner the Killjoys had lived in when Neon and Static had answered an SOS call from them five years ago. Except that diner had ironically been missing the 'n' and 'r' so it had read 'die.' They had always found that fitting.

Cola noticed Neon staring at it. "Yeah, it looks exactly the same. You guys did well. Gerard, er, Poison, keeps saying that he's gonna take a hammer to it sometime, but he never gets around to it."

"Well, are we just gonna sit here or can we go in?" Static asked. "I could really use some water and food."

* * *

><p>Fun Ghoul was sitting on a couch with Kobra Kid playing videogames on an old Playstation 1 that they had swiped on a raid. Cola had remarked that they could have stolen a better system, like one that was newer, but the two had just been happy to have something to do.<p>

Unfortunately, the games weren't all that great. They had Tetris—which Ghoul refused to play because it took too much thought and concentration, and old Mario game—which Kobra wouldn't play because he said it was stupid. That left them with some original game that Adrenaline Torment had picked up off the street and jokingly given to Kobra because it had a unicorn on the cover.

So that was why Fun Ghoul and Kobra Kid, two of the most dangerous Killjoys in the Zones, were playing a game, probably made by some college kid, called Rainbow Unicorn Frenzy when there was a knock at the door.

"Yo! It's me—Agent Cherri Cola! Open the door! And you'll never believe who I found and brought back with me…"

"Fuck it dude, we're in the middle of the next-to-last level here!" Kobra shouted. "We have to defeat the black unicorn knight so we can face the black unicorn king and rescue the diamond princess unicorn."

"What the hell?" a muffled voice that wasn't Cola's said outside.

"Don't ask," Cola replied. "They love unicorns."

"Will someone open the goddamn door yet?" Cola's voice shouted again.

"God, you two, just pause the game!" Adrenaline said, wrapping her wet, dirty blonde hair up in a towel as she walked in. "Coming!"

She opened the door to see Cola, and two faces that she honestly never expected to see again.

"Oh. My. God." A smile crept onto her lips. "Guys! Everyone! They're back!"

Before Static or Neon could say anything, Adrenaline had her arms around them and was smothering them with a hug.

"It's been four frickin' years!" she said.

Ghoul took his eyes off the game. "No fucking way! Mikey pause the game! The twins are back!"

Kobra looked up and smiled. "Well I'll be damned. We hadn't seen you two in so long, I was sure you had been ghosted."

Static mocked offense. "What? You think those Dracs are better than us?"

"No, we think you're crazy enough," said a low, rough voice from the doorway.

"Dr. D!" Neon said.

"The one and only." Dr. Death Defying smiled from the doorway. He wheeled himself into the room and shook hands with the twins.

The Killjoys bombarded Neon and Static with questions. Cola stepped in front of them and held out his hands. "Woa, hold on. Let's get these boys some food and water first. They haven't had any in days!"

"I got it!" Adrenaline said, walking into the kitchen. "I don't trust you two with the food anyway," she said, looking at Ghoul and Kobra. They shrugged.

"We eat too much for her liking, I guess," Kobra said.

"So where's Gracie?" Static asked.

"Sleeping right now," Dr. D said.

"But when she wakes up, I bet she'll be glad to see you. And you'll never guess what I've taught her," Ghoul whispered to Static, sitting next to him. Static grinned, guessing it was something that Dr. D, Adrenaline, and Jet probably wouldn't approve of.

Adrenaline came back in with lots of food and drinks.

"Oh, and you wouldn't trust _us _with the food!" Ghoul exclaimed. "Look at all that!"

"Well it's a special occasion," Adrenaline defended herself.

Show Pony skated in not too long after that. He was still wearing his signature polka dotted tights. That just left two people missing.

"Where're Jet and Poison?" Neon asked.

"They went to get food and medical supplies. They'll be back soon," Dr. D said.

Just then they heard an engine outside.

"Speak of the devils," Static grinned from the couch between Kobra and Ghoul. The three of them were on the last level of Rainbow Unicorn Frenzy.

The door opened and Poison walked in, followed by Jet. "We got the goods!" Jet sang out as he entered. Then they stopped short when they saw the two Killjoys lounging on their couch.

"Well, well, well," Jet said. "Long time no see."

A grin lit up his and Poison's faces.

"Yeah what's with the sudden drop in? You think it's okay to not talk to us for four years and then suddenly show up?" Poison asked.

The twins were smiling, but they exchanged glances between the two of them.

"Well it's sort of a long story," Neon said.

"Well I've got beer and we've got time," Jet said.

"Alright, but give me one of those," said Neon.

Jet and Poison passed out the beer and they all settled down to listen to Neon.

"Well after we left you guys four years ago, we actually planned on going to the East Coast."

"The East Coast?" Ghoul interrupted, then seeing the glares from everyone, apologized and shut up.

"Yeah," Neon continued. "We had reason to believe that we should go out there. That 'other shit' that we were working on. But we never made it. It turned out to be a dead end. But the problem was that we were afraid BLI had gotten a whiff of us. We'd hacked into their database to get some information, but I think we left a trail. So we went underground for about eight months. Like completely underground. We didn't have contact with anyone other than ourselves.

"Then we started researching again. Our next lead was the most promising. It led us to the Arizona desert, but it turned out to be a dead end, too. We were out there for almost three years in that fucking desert, and nothing. It was our best lead too. I was so sure we had found the key." Neon slammed his fist on the table.

"Then we started making our way back. We actually made it pretty far before we ran into a Drac patrol out in the middle of nowhere outside the Zones."

"And not just any patrol," Static added. "One with Korse."

Poison's eyes narrowed at the mentioning of the name. But the rest remained expressionless.

"We had to leave our car and supplies and flee on food. Then Cola found us and brought us here. And that's everything."

Dr. D sighed. "I wish you boys would tell us what you're trying to figure out. It's something big, I know it is. I feel like the Fabulous Killjoys could help."

Neon smiled a sad smile. "It's okay Doc. I can't take that risk. More people than just us could get hurt. But I promise you if we can figure something out for sure, and if we have any chance of bringing down BLI, you'll be the first to know, because we can't do it alone."


	4. Don't believe what they say

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**Four: Don't believe what they say**_

The knock came at precisely 4:35, like Dusti's compound attendant said it would. She opened the door to come face to face with two Draculoids. Those things still scared the crap out of her. Ever since she was twelve. That had been when the bombs went off and BLI and the Dracs had started showing up.

Dusti breathed in once, quickly, then shut her eyes, gritted her teeth and followed them out the door. She was in a precarious position, she knew. She was not a prisoner, but she was not completely free either. As long as she remained on good behavior—or more like not too horribly bad behavior—Better Living Industries had left her alone for the time being.

But how long would that last? Something had to give either way. BLI needed to know what she knew, what she had seen. But it would also be invaluable to the rising rebel movement. If she could get out and find some Killjoys, maybe the huge war that was building in the distance like a violent storm wouldn't have to come to pass.

That was her thought process as she followed the two Dracs into the new BLI building in Battery City.

The building was tall, probably fifty stories high, and plain white, like everything else. The whole absence of color really bothered Dusti. Her plain black pants and white shirt bothered her. Everyone was so plain, so uniform.

On top of the building, there was that stupid smiling logo with "BL Industries" underneath. She hated that too. It seemed to make everyone other than her feel happy, safe, and secure. To her it just seemed a symbol of everything wrong.

She hesitantly followed the Dracs into the elevator, wondering if she should try to make a break for it. She knew the company knew she knew something. Honestly, she was surprised they had waited this long to bring her in. Unless someone, somewhere out there, was looking into Battery City and trying to figure out its secrets. Maybe someone was getting close. She knew she held the final key. And Better Living couldn't afford to let that slip away.

Dusti had to play her cards just right. She had made it five years feigning innocence. Sure she never did what her compound attendant told her too, but that wasn't anything big. As much as she had wanted to stand up the company, whenever there was a big sabotage plot, or anything that would bring higher-up attention to herself, she stayed out of it. She couldn't take the risk.

So running now would make her look guilty. If she was caught, she wouldn't be able to play it off and still pretend she didn't know or understand what she had seen. But if she went willingly, then she would lose her chance at escape, at least for awhile.

Dusti was itching to get out of this place. She hated it. It drove her crazy. The blandness, the lack of freedom. The first thing she would do when she got out was join the Killjoys. Sometimes in her free time, Dusti dreamed up what she would look like as a Killjoy, and what her name would be. But she could never come up with one. She was going to join them with her family back in 2010, but that fateful day was all it took to tear her life apart.

The doors opened, and Dusti readied herself to grab one of the Drac's ray guns and make a break for it. But then the sensible part of her that had kept her alive all those years took hold of her. She had waited five years, she could wait longer. This wasn't the opening she wanted. She couldn't kid herself; she wouldn't make it. If she wasn't killed—and she probably wouldn't be because they needed her—then she would for sure not be left alone. She knew she probably wouldn't be left alone anymore, but she was willing to wait. Because someone out there was getting close to discovering her secret. Or at least that was what she told herself to calm her nerves as she walked into the head Exterminator's office.

Korse's office was plain, like everything in Battery City, but instead of white walls, it had gray. It looked like any ordinary business office you would have found pre-blast. Something about that scared Dusti even more.

Korse was sitting behind his desk, his face plain. Everything about him and the room was monotonous, and every nerve in Dusti's body screamed at her that she had made the wrong choice. She needed to get out now. But she held strong.

"Ah, Dustyna," he said, "please take a seat."

Dusti shot sideways glances at the Dracs flanking either side of her, but moved forward to sit in the chair across the desk from the Exterminator.

"Now, we have a lot to discuss." Korse leaned forward, staring her in the eye.

Dusti leaned forward as well, returning his stare. "Oh really? Because I have nothing to say to you."

"Somehow I don't think that is the wisest decision."

Dusti leaned back. "So?" Typical teenager response.

"I think you have information that might be valuable to the company," Korse continued. "And we would very much like it if you shared that with us. You could have anything: power, money, fame, a new home. Whatever you want, it's yours. We just need you to help us out a little."

Dusti didn't say anything.

"You might not know it's important," a voice behind her prompted. A thirty-something Japanese woman with a faint accent walked in. "It might be buried deep in your memory. But we have specialists that can help with that."

The woman came and stood behind Korse. "Hello, my name is Katsumi Kouno. I am the head of the enforcement division here at Better Living Industries."

Dusti wondered why they were bothering with all these pleasantries. She was pretty sure Korse and his groupies were fully aware of the fact that she was conscious of her knowledge, and she wasn't talking.

"Why don't we just skip the bullshit and get to the point," Dusti said.

Korse looked displeased, but Kouno smiled. "I agree. Now tell us everything you know about the Black Dragon."

Dusti leaned forward, perching her head on her hands. "And if I don't?"

"Then we will have no other choice but to send you to the rebels prison," Kouno said.

"And there maybe you can be…persuaded to tell us more," Korse said, a half smile on his face.

"So are you going to tell us?" Kouno asked.

Dusti leaned back, smiled, and crossed her arms. "Nope."


	5. Would you stay right here?

_**~A/N: So sorry it's been awhile! It gets crazy with school sometimes and I just forget. You all have to remind me to post, sillys! :P Just kidding, I'll remember...hopefully. :] Anyway, I'd like to say thank you to those of you who have added this story or are reading it. And I'd like to say a special thank you to those of you who have taken the time to review, even if it is just a sentence. It really does mean a lot. The story is going to be picking up soon, I promise! So please stick with me. :D**_

_**w/luv**_

_**~T**_

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**Five: Would you stay right here?**_

The diner was set up a lot like the Killjoys' last home. Dr. D took the warehouse for his studio, which contained a sleeping area for himself and Show Pony. Adrenaline Torment and Grace, seeing as they were the only girls, shared one of the three bedrooms. Cola, Ghoul, and Kobra shared the large room with the loft, and Poison and Jet shared the last one, although Jet had taken a liking to sleeping on the couch in one of the other back rooms of the diner. That left Poison with a room all to himself most of the time.

So it was decided that Neon would room with him and Static would stay in the loft. Static was perfectly fine with that—they could bring the video games back and make another attempt at beating Rainbow Unicorn Frenzy.

After eating and drinking—a lot—the twins were ready to turn in for the night. Grace had come out for a few hours and had been reintroduced to the twin Killjoys.

"You probably don't remember us, do you?" Static had said, crouching down to her level.

She shook her head no, but had a small smile on her lips. She maybe didn't remember them, but there was something about them that she liked. That she knew already.

"Well, we used to hang out with everyone a lot," Static said. Grace nodded, but went back to Adrenaline not long after. And it wasn't long after that that Grace went to bed.

"Man she looks like Jet," Static mused to Cola, who was lounged next to him. "Are you sure she's not his?"

Cola shook his head. It was silent for awhile after that.

"Honestly, Jimmy," Static said, using Cola's real name, "how's everyone doing? They weren't doing so hot when we last left you guys."

Agent Cherri Cola shook his head. "It's gotten better, that's for sure. Don't get me wrong, they're far from the boys we picked up in Battery City, and probably far from the Killjoys you first met five years ago, but I think they're beginning to heal. But they're permanently changed, I don't doubt that one bit."

Static didn't doubt that either.

* * *

><p>Poison drug another blanket and a few more pillows into the room and laid them on the bed that Neon was perched on.<p>

"This should be enough, right?" he asked.

Neon laughed. "Yeah, that's plenty enough. It's like 100 degrees outside."

Poison cracked a little smile. "Yeah, I guess it is. I tend to get cold at night."

"Well after living out in that desert for three years like we did, I tend to never be cold indoors. It may have been a hundred in the day, but at night it was like negative that," Neon exaggerated.

Poison whistled and shook his head. He couldn't imagine being outside in cold weather in general, even if it wasn't really as cold as Neon said.

They made small talk about their various adventures for awhile. The two Killjoys had always been good friends in the past, so it was nice to catch up.

After about an hour, Poison finally said, "So how long can this last, Eli?"

Neon looked up from the blanket he had been staring at, startled at the use of his first name. He hadn't heard it in years. The twins never spoke their real names, it reminded them too much of the past.

"How long can what last?"

"This? You here, pretending your mind isn't wandering somewhere else. I know you, Eli. I know whatever you're doing is important to you, and it's killing you to just be sitting here."

Neon sighed. That was why he and Poison had always gotten along. They understood each other well.

Shaking his head, Neon said, "I want to be out there, I really do. But we're worn down. We're broken. You saw Static, he's happy now."

Poison smiled a sad smile. "This is our curse. We always put our brothers first. And I'm not necessarily talking about our literal brothers."

"I would go with you, you know," Poison said after a period of silence.

"I know," Neon said.

"I could help."

"I know."

"It would be good for both of us," Poison argued, "getting away."

"I just…I can't."

"Why? I don't understand what about BLI that you can't tell us."

Neon pulled on his Mohawk in frustration. After opening and closing his mouth a few times, he said, "I'm sorry. I can't."

Poison knew he wouldn't get anything out of him, at least not tonight. "It's been a long day," he said.

"Yeah," Neon agreed. "I'm wiped."

"Alright, goodnight."

"Goodnight."

Poison rolled over and turned off the light and was soon asleep. True to his nature, Neon laid awake for awhile thinking. He knew Poison and the Fabulous Killjoys were only trying to help, but the truth was that other than himself and Static, he was ninety-nine percent sure no other Killjoy even had a hint of what they thought they knew. So he couldn't afford to have the issue publicized all of a sudden. Then BLI would really be onto them.

Those were the thoughts going through his head when he was finally able to worry himself to sleep.

* * *

><p>It was day one and Dusti was already ready to kill herself from boredom. Never, in her numerous calculations of how miserable she would be in prison, did she ever consider the fact that she might be bored. Great. She wouldn't die of inmate violence. She wouldn't die from the beatings she suspected she would get. No, she would be bored to death. What a boring way to go, no pun intended.<p>

_I wonder if you can really die of boredom…_

It didn't help that they kept her in isolation. Dusti guessed they hoped that she would go crazy. Then when she cracked, she would tell them everything. But that wasn't going to happen. She would make sure of it.

So she sang, and talked to herself, and other forms of self entertainment. But after counting out loud to one million three hundred and forty seven she was really bored again. And it wasn't even day two.

"Crap," she mumbled out loud.

Finally her eyes began to feel heavy. Gratefully, Dusti lowered herself onto the hard cot they had given her as a bed and closed her eyes. Dreamless sleep came almost instantly. She couldn't remember the last time she had dreamed. It had to have been ages ago. But she was grateful for it. Because she was certain that if she started dreaming again they would be nothing but the nightmares.

* * *

><p>Neon awoke in the middle of the night to the sound of struggling. His eyes instantly shot open. He looked over to see Poison struggling with…<p>

Nothing. There wasn't a Drac or BLI agent in sight.

"No!" Poison was saying over and over again. "No! Stop!" More unintelligible mumbling followed.

"Poison?" Neon asked timidly. "Gerard?"

Poison didn't wake, but the struggling and the talking stopped. He fitfully rolled back to his other side and then was still.

Neon was beginning to understand why Jet slept in another room. It would be hard enough to deal with Poison's memories without having ones of his own.

Slowly he drifted off into sleep and into dreams of his own.

_He was sitting with Static on the couch in the diner. No one else was around. Neon knew they had to leave. He opened his mouth to say something to his brother, but nothing came out. _

"_Static!" he tried to yell over and over again. "We have to go!" _

_But his brother didn't hear him. _

_Neon stood up and grabbed his twin by the arm. But Static still didn't turn to look at him. Neon pulled, but he didn't budge. He just kept staring straight ahead. _

_Neon walked around and looked his brother in the face. And almost screamed. Static was as white as a sheet of paper, and his eyes were glazed over and white as well. _

"_Holy shit!" Neon yelled, backing away fast. He turned and ran and ran, but he didn't go anywhere. The whole world was white. The desert sand was white. The sky was white. He was the only splash of color in the whole world. _

_Suddenly, he saw something out of the corner of his eye. _

"_Static?" he asked warily. _

_Neon turned to see a black shadow taking form. It morphed into a small human figure and reached out to him. _

_Neon was mesmerized. He stepped forward, as if in a trance, and reached his hand out as well to it. _

_The figure was blurred and faded; he couldn't make out any features. He didn't know if it was male or female, young or old. _

_Then, just as he was getting close to it, it was whisked away, and Neon was left in nothingness. _


	6. We can take to the highway

_**~A/N: Because I felt so bad about not posting for so long, here's another chapter for you guys! :D Just don't think this is going to be a trend. I can't write that fast. Sorry. :D**_

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**Six: We can take to the highway**_

"Dude. _Dude. DUDE!_"

Static woke up in the dark to a face looming over him. "Gah!" he yelled, scrambling backwards.

"Shhhh! You'll wake the others up," the face hissed.

Static squinted, trying to let his eyes adjust to the darkness. He normally didn't ever wake up before dawn, so this was unusual for him.

"Who's there?" he asked.

"Duh! It's me."

"Who's me?"

"Frank!"

Static rolled his eyes. He should've known. "What do you want?"

"Dude, we're going on dawn patrol."

"What? Why?"

"Because I feel like it."

"Well I don't!" Static exclaimed.

"If you come I can show you that thing I didn't want everyone else to know about," Ghoul taunted.

"With Grace? Why on earth would she even be up at this hour?"

"Oh she always gets up when I have dawn patrol."

Static couldn't help but grin. "She sounds like she's turning into a little stinker."

"I taught her well," Ghoul said proudly. "Let's go."

Now that Static was awake, he didn't really mind so much. Besides, stuff was always interesting with Fun Ghoul around.

"Okay, where are we going?" Static asked as he grabbed his blue vest from the coat hanger next to the door of the diner.

"You'll see!" a voice piped up from behind him. Grace. "Do I get to do it, Uncle Frankie?" She asked.

"Yup!" He said happily.

Static raised one eyebrow. This could be interesting. "Do I get to know what this 'it' is?"

"No!" Ghoul and Grace both sang out.

"Great," he mumbled, following them into the Killjoys' car.

"What time is it anyway?" Static asked after they had been driving awhile.

"Eh, probably three-thirty or four," Ghoul said absentmindedly from the driver's seat.

"Jesus Christ! In the morning! How do you get up so early?" Static dropped his head into his hands.

"Quit whining like a baby," Grace said from the backseat.

"Ouch," Ghoul smiled.

"Shut up," said Static.

After a few more miles, Ghoul slowed the car down.

"Okay we're just on the outskirts of the Zones enough that there should be a few stragglers," Ghoul said to Grace.

"Stragglers? What kind?" Static asked. It was still way too early for him.

"Draculoids," Grace said calmly.

"Oh," said Static. Then he registered what she said and his eyes widened. "Draculoids?"

"Yeah," Ghoul said, "you'll see why we need them."

"Oh great," he mumbled to himself, rolling his eyes.

"Alright Static, I need you to take the wheel," Ghoul said, pulling the car over.

Static got out of the car and walked around to the driver's side. He got in and adjusted the seat—because Ghoul was a little on the short side. He reached up to adjust the rearview mirror, and when he did, saw Grace pull something very large out of the back.

"Holy fuck, Frank! Did you just give her a bazooka?" Static exclaimed.

Ghoul was just smiling happily. "Yup!"

"Its name is Sally," Grace said simply from the back, possessively holding her weapon.

Static didn't know what to say. He was crazy and all, but the thought of a five-year-old with a bazooka named Sally scared even him.

"Drive slow," Ghoul ordered him. "We want to make sure we keep those Dracs in sight."

After about ten minutes, Ghoul said, "There! Slow down, I see one hiding in the bushes."

His subconscious in the form of his brother told Static to keep driving, but he listened to Ghoul. After all, the three of them could surely take on one Draculoid, right?

That was the difference between him and his brother, Static thought. Neon would just keep on driving. Static liked to take the risks.

In the words of his brother, he was the stupid one.

So he slowed the car as Ghoul unbuckled his seatbelt and crawled into the back to help Grace.

"Okay watch!" Ghoul yelled. Static didn't know how he was supposed to watch and drive at the same time, but then he realized it wasn't like he had to worry about oncoming traffic, so he let his eyes wander.

Ghoul was standing next to Grace, helping her hold the gun.

"Ready," Grace said, taking aim. "One, two, three!" Then she cocked the gun back and pulled the trigger. A large explosion followed, launching the Draculoid out of the bush and onto the dusty road.

"Ah nice!" Static exclaimed.

Grace looked extremely proud of herself. Ghoul wore a smirk that said 'I told you so.'

At least that was what they looked like before the giant influx of Dracs swept in from the other foliage.

* * *

><p>"Crap," Neon mumbled as he woke from the dream. It had been a long time since he had dreamed, and even longer since it had been a nightmare. But now that he was awake, he knew there wouldn't be any going back to sleep for him.<p>

Sighing, he got out of bed, careful not to disturb Poison, who was finally sleeping comfortably. Neon tiptoed to the door and quietly turned the knob and exited the room. He crept to the front door to grab his vest. He figured he might as well take a little walk since he was up.

The first thing he noticed was Static's missing vest. Confused, he cocked his head to one side and slunk back to the room Static was sharing with the other Killjoys. Neon peered into the room and made out the sleeping forms of Kobra Kid and Agent Cherri Cola, but not Ghoul, or his brother.

Neon kept assuring himself that they were fine, but he couldn't shake the feeling that something was wrong.

_Static's a big boy, he can take care of himself._

_But what if something is actually wrong?_

_You need to stop babying him. Let him live his life!_

_But what if he's in danger and needs my help?_

The true Neon won out, and he found himself rushing back to Poison's room.

"Poison! Get up! Wake up!"

"Mpfh," Poison grunted, rolling over to his side.

"Come on," Neon pleaded, "you said you wanted to help me. Here's your chance. Let's go."

"What is it?" Poison asked drowsily, head still on the pillow.

"My brother and Ghoul are missing."

Poison opened his mouth to say something, but Neon continued before he could speak.

"I know they're probably just taking a walk or something, but I just have this feeling, okay? Call it twin telepathy or whatever, but I bet you have it too. I mean, it's your brother, you just _know_."

Poison saw the worry on the blonde Killjoy's face and knew he wasn't overreacting.

"Alright, I'll get my coat. Let's go."


	7. Hallelujah lock and load

_**A/N: Sorry I haven't updated in like forever! School and cross country are really busy... :/ College applications...FML. So here you go. **_

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**Seven: Hallelujah lock and load**_

Sure enough, the car was gone when Party Poison and Neon Beam stepped outside. Luckily, there was an almost full moon out, so the desert sky was lit enough for the two Killjoys to be able to see tire tracks that led to where they assumed they would find Static and Ghoul.

"I guess we're walking?" Neon asked.

"Nah," Poison mumbled, still half asleep. "Mikey and I stole a motorbike a few years ago."

Neon's eyes lit up. "A motorbike?" He had always wanted one. Really bad. "Oh my God. Can we take it?"

"Sure," Poison said, a little hesitantly because he wasn't sure he had ever seen Neon this excited. "Do you want to drive?"

"Yes!"

* * *

><p>"Now what am I supposed to do?" Static yelled at Ghoul.<p>

"I don't know," he yelled back, frantically reloading the bazooka. "Gracie, take my blaster."

The young girl nodded, and hung out the window. White blasts from the Draculoid's ray guns came right at her, but her small frame made her a hard target to hit. With the precision of a veteran marksman, she fired, taking out her opponents one after another.

_How old is she? Five? _Static couldn't help but be amazed. When he was five he was still playing with Hot Wheels and coloring books. _It's sad what BLI has brought the world to. Little children firing ray guns out of a window. _

Ghoul took the bazooka and used it on the densest concentrations of Dracs. He was managing to take out groups of five or so at a time, but it wasn't enough. Not even when Static pulled his gun out and started driving one handed to free up another for shooting did they seem to make a significant impact against the army of Dracs.

"Well, we're fucked?" Static asked, more to himself than anyone else, but Ghoul heard him from the back seat.

"Yeah. We're fucked."

* * *

><p>"Is this it?" Neon asked, trying, but failing to hide the excitement from his voice. He and Static had used a motorcycle back at the very beginnings of the war, and he had always wanted to get another, but they were really impractical, so they never did. If you couldn't carry gear or hide from approaching gunfire in it, it wasn't useful. That's what he always said.<p>

"Yeah, there she is," Poison said, sounding a little bit proud of his accomplishment.

"How'd you steal it?"

"Well Ghoul was driving—don't ask why we let him," Poison added when he saw the look on Neon's face, "and all of the sudden a shitload of Dracs came bursting out behind us. I was in the front seat and Kobra was behind me. Then this Drac pulls up next to us on a motorbike, and Kobra just gets this look on his face and jumps out the window.

"It was a perfect landing too. Don't ask how he did it—pure luck. He's a lucky bastard. Well, I think we were all in shock a little bit because the kid didn't tell us what he was doing, but he managed to knock the Drac off the bike. The only problem was that he had left his gun in the car. So I jumped on the bike behind him and starting shooting the oncoming Dracs, and we were able to drive it back to the diner."

"Your little brother just earned some major cool points with me," Neon mused.

"And speaking of brothers…"

"Right. We'd better go after them."

* * *

><p>"We're surrounded," Ghoul pointed out unnecessarily.<p>

"Yeah," Static said through gritted teeth, "I kinda noticed."

"Any amazing plans?"

"Me? You're the one who got us into this mess in the first place. 'Oh we're on the outskirts of the zones. There'll just be a few stragglers.' Sure..."

"Hey it's not like I did it on purpose!"

"Shut up and figure something out, you're the adults," Grace hissed.

The young girl's presence seemed to snap the two older Killjoys out of their moods. They frantically looked around, trying to find any possible means of escape. Static and Ghoul both saw it at the same time. There was an opening between two of the cars in the back line of the roadblock the Draculoids had set up in front of them—trapping them in.

"We'd never get to it in time," Static said under his breath.

"Not without a distraction," Ghoul agreed.

"But we've got no better option."

"Nope."

"And we don't really have a choice."

"Nope."

"Then we go for it?"

Although, it wasn't really a question. The cornered Killjoys didn't have a choice. Either resign themselves to death or capture, or go out trying.

"Yeah," Ghoul breathed.

* * *

><p>Even though he had a bad feeling in his stomach, and was worried about his brother, Neon couldn't help but be thrilled at the thought that he was finally driving a motorbike. He knew he shouldn't be taking any enjoyment in the ride, but he just couldn't help it. It was something he had always wanted. And didn't he deserve a little fun every once in awhile. His brother got it more often, so why shouldn't he? Did he always have to be the responsible one? Couldn't he enjoy himself, just this once?<p>

Apparently not, because Poison's voice hissed in his ear, "Slow down, I think there's a huge concentration of Dracs up ahead."

Neon had been too absorbed in his thoughts to notice, but it did look like a massive amount of white and black in front of him. He slowed the motorbike down as slow as he could for the motor to be unheard, but still make it up the small incline in the road.

As the pair crept closer, they noticed something that looked alarming familiar behind a barricade of Better Living Industries' soldiers.

"Is that the Trans-Am?" Neon whispered.

"Yeah," Poison breathed. "What do we do?"

Neon swept the area, looking for any possible outs. Maybe because they were twins, or maybe just because it was the only idea, Neon saw the same escape that Static had.

"There," he pointed out to Poison. "If they can get to that gap right there between those cars, the Trans-Am should fit through. But they won't be able to reach it without someone giving them a distraction of some type first. Otherwise, those Dracs would notice and move the car."

"They have gotten smarter," Poison mused, remembering the early days when all they could do was walk and shoot forward.

"Unfortunately," Neon said. "But we'll have to make a distraction and hope they go for it. And now, by the looks of it."

Poison looked up to see a troupe of Dracs moving forward, guns raised. They didn't have much time if they wanted to help their friends.

"Do you trust me?" Neon asked, looking back.

"Yes," Poison said without hesitation.

"Good, because I'm going to pull one out of my brother's playbook."

"I didn't say I trusted your brother," Poison said, but his voice was lost in the sudden whoosh of wind from Neon completely flooring the accelerator—and heading straight towards a group of Dracs.

* * *

><p>"Alright, on the count of three," Static said. Ghoul nodded. Grace looked grim, but determined, and didn't say anything.<p>

"One. Two—"

A loud yell and Draculoids being taken out by gunfire startled the Killjoys. They looked over to see shocks of red and blue hair. Realizing who it was, Static put his foot on the gas and drove straight at the startled and unsuspecting BLI cars.

The fit was a little tighter than Static had estimated, but the car managed to fit through. There would be some scratches on the side, but they would take that in exchange for possibly saving their lives.

* * *

><p>"They're gone," Poison said, still shooting Draculoids with both his and Neon's ray guns. How he was managing that while sitting backwards on the motorbike, Neon would never know. Party Poison just had a whole different level of coolness anbout him.<p>

Neon turned the bike around and started speeding off after the Trans-Am, but the BLI patrols had the same idea.

"They're following us," Poison said, still firing.

"I know. I can't outrun them. This thing won't go any faster."

"They're catching up." Poison was still taking out as many Dracs as he could, but they kept ducking in behind the windshield. He and Neon had no such luxury, and had to keep swerving to avoid being hit. It made aiming much more difficult for him, but there wasn't exactly a better option.

Just when he thought they were going to be overtaken, a huge blast rocked the side of the car, sending it spinning into a ditch on the side of the road. Poison spun around so he was facing the front again, and Neon decided that he and Kobra must practice this a lot. Poison squinted and just made out a bazooka and a poof of curly brown hair in the back of the Trans-Am.

"Is that…?" he trailed off. "I'm gonna kill Frank."


	8. Thank you for the venom

**The Sharpest Lives**

_**Eight: Thank you for the venom**_

"What were you thinking?" Poison yelled, storming into the living room of the diner.

Ghoul was already sitting on the couch with his head in his hands. "I'm sorry, I—"

"You're _sorry?_" Poison exploded. "You almost got all five of us killed, Grace included!"

"What's going on?" a sleepy Adrenaline Torment said, walking out of her room with a bathrobe wrapped around her. "Is Grace up with you guys?"

Seeing her, Grace ran from where Static was getting her a glass of water, and straight into Adrenaline. She wrapped her small arms around her waist and held on.

Adrenaline looked up with a glare in her eyes. "What did you do?" she hissed, while patting Grace's head.

"Patrol. Then Drac attack," Static said.

She raised one eyebrow, and looked like she was about to say more, but then glanced over at Poison. Deciding that he could handle it, she said soothingly, "Come on Grace, let's go back to bed."

Poison yelled some more at Ghoul, but the short Killjoy was beginning to see that behind all the anger, his leader was really just relieved he hadn't lost his friend.

Neon, on the other hand, hadn't said a word since they'd been back, and Static was beginning to get a little nervous. It was like when they were young and they had done something to make their parents mad. Instead of yelling, they were creepily quiet—which was often worse.

Neon stalked out of the diner, slamming the door behind him. Static sighed, knowing he had better follow him and get this over with. It would only get worse the longer his brother had to brood.

He gently closed the door behind him. Neon was standing a little farther off. The sun was just rising, the sky filled with pink hues. Neon looked like a black silhouette against it.

"Neon?"

"Are you fucking stupid?" Neon spat. "What could possibly have been going through your pea-sized brain when you went out to the edge of the Zones like that?"

Static opened his mouth to explain or defend himself, but his twin wouldn't let him get a word in.

"You're lucky I had a feeling and convinced Poison to come out looking for you guys! If we hadn't been out there you would've been killed. And you would've gotten Grace killed too!" He let out a groan of frustration. "Sometimes I get so sick and tired of always having to take care of you and be the responsible one!"

That hit home for Static. "Oh? So that's what you think of all this? That I'm someone lesser than you that you have to take care of? Just a burden to you? Well, then, don't let me hold you back. Go on, get out! Go lead whatever fucking life you want to. I wouldn't want to ruin it for you!"

"Maybe I will!" Neon shouted back. "We're wasting our time here, when we could be searching. But I wouldn't say anything because it might spoil your little vacation."

"It seems to me it's your own stupid fault you think about me so much. I didn't ask you to be my guardian or my protector." Static snorted. "You obviously didn't make that good of one anyway."

The second the words left his mouth, he regretted them. That was going too far. No matter how mad he was at his brother—and this was about the maddest he had ever been—he had hit way below the belt.

"What did you say?" Neon growled.

"I'm sorry, I didn't—"

But Static didn't get a chance to finish, because Neon had crashed into him, tackling him to the ground, and landing on top. Neon threw a punch that landed right on the side of Static's face. He didn't even try to avoid it; he deserved it and he knew it. Neon drew back like he was going to hit him again, then rolled off to the side, breathing heavy.

The twins lay there, breathing heavy, for minutes after the fight. Out of the corner of his eye, Static saw his brother pull his legs up towards him and lay his arms across his eyes. He couldn't be sure, but it looked like he was shaking.

"Neon? Neon?" No answer.

Static forced himself to his feet and walked over so he was standing over his brother. He reached his hands down. "Come on."

After a minute, Neon uncovered his eyes and looked up at his brother. Slowly, he reached up and allowed Static to take his hands and help him to his feet. Neon touched the side of his twin's face that he punched.

"You're already bruising."

"I deserved it."

"No, you didn't."

"What I said was inexcusable."

"Yeah, but so was what I did. No matter how mad you made me, I should never have hit you."

Static touched the bruise forming around his eye and winced. "Yeah, you probably shouldn't've hit me." He grinned. "Looks like you'll be the good-looking one for awhile."

Neon smiled. "I'm always the good-looking one."

Just like that the tensions were resolved. It was hard to stay mad at the one person you had left in this crazy new world.

Content, the twins walked back into the house together.

* * *

><p>"So," Korse's evil voice said, "has a week of prison done anything to change your mind?"<p>

Dusti tried not to let her surprise and despair show. _Holy crap, it's only been one week? Oh, God. I am doomed. I'm gonna crack. _

"No."

"You do understand," Kouno said from behind him, "that we may have to move towards more…forceful methods."

"Yes."

"One word answers won't get you anywhere girl!" Korse barked.

"I know," Dusti said, then couldn't help adding, "And that was two words."

Korse lunged forward, but Kouno put a restraining arm on his shoulder. "Leave her. She'll learn soon enough. We've broken much tougher than her."

"Looks aren't always what they seem," Korse muttered on the way out, but Dusti was pretty sure she was the only one who heard him.

As she was led back to her cell, Dusti let her mind wander. Their conversation had been unnerving. If BLI was stepping it up, she needed to also. She knew what she needed to do.

Dusti had to get a message to the Killjoys.

* * *

><p>Life around the diner had been pretty quiet after the mornings' outbursts. Poison seemed to be in a better mood, but he was still giving Ghoul the silent treatment. Everyone saw Static's face, but no one said anything.<p>

All in all, it was a very awkward day filled with very awkward silences. No one wanted to ask what had happened, in case they set Poison off again. No one wanted to talk to the twins, because they were afraid they might fight again. It was fairly obvious that Neon had to have been the one to have given Static the black eye.

Neon finally got up and said, "I'm turning in for the night. See you all later."

A few hours later, with everyone else except for the girls still awake, Static went to his brother and Poison's room to check on him.

"Neon?" He knocked quietly on the door. Then a little louder when there was no answer. "Neon?"

Frowning, he opened the door. His brother was nowhere in sight.

"Neon?" He sounded panicked now.

"Static? What is it?" asked Agent Cherri Cola from outside.

"He's gone…"

Static noticed a breeze in the room, and went to the window. Sure enough, it was wide open.

"Static," Cola said, holding out a piece of paper to him.

With shaking hands, Static took the paper. It was his brother's handwriting.

_Static,_

_First things first: Don't beat yourself up over this one. The thing is, you were a little bit right with what you said earlier—and I know you know which part I'm talking about. I did fail, and I tried making up for it by protecting you, but obviously it didn't work. Look in a mirror. _

Static touched his bruised face, afraid to keep reading.

_So I'm finally going to make up for it in the way I should have done before. I'm leaving. And don't try to follow me, because you know I'm the best at tracking and hiding our trail. If I don't want to be found—you won't be able to find me. Stay with Poison, and Ghoul, and everyone. They love you, and I trust them—more than anyone other than you. They could use another good Killjoy. This isn't goodbye for good, I can promise you that. I'll be back, just not until I have a definite answer to the question we've been trying to figure out for so long. And I will have an answer. But in the meantime, keep out of trouble, and keep yourself safe._

_Neon_


End file.
